Lost In The Darkness II: When I was Cruel
by Felicia Zezili
Summary: POST 2!!! Two years Obi-Wan Kenobi has been roaming the galaxy and trying to forget the events that took place at Akil Fort. Now when he thinks he has found a place where he belongs, he’s forced to face the past when a few old friends come to him for he
1. Déjà vu

**Title:** Lost in the Darkness II: When I Was Cruel

**Author:** Felicia Zezili

**Rating:** PG-13 (Violence and Gory dream sequences) 

**Time Frame:** Obi-Wan 22

**Summary: **For the past two years Obi-Wan has wandered the galaxy trying to forget but he is soon forced to face his past when old friends come to him for help and an old foe returns to settle unfinished business. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Star Wars (as if you didn't know) or any of the characters from Star Wars (again a big surprise) 

**Author's Notes:** Back by popular demand! Okay five people but still it's back. I'm not the biggest fan of sequels or prequels myself because they never live up the originals or have nothing to do with the originals (i.e. Casper: a spirited beginning) but the first was so much fun to write that I thought, why not? This is basically the healing portion of the story but there is action and a few lose ends need to be taken care of from the first Lost in the Darkness. Which I do suggest you read before this and not just to help boost my ego but you'll understand better why Obi-Wan is the way he is in this story. And keeping with the first, anything in between ** is a flashback and ~ is a dream. 

Chapter 1 – Déjà vu  

_~He walked a path. Around him there were trees and above him a sky, though it didn't seem natural. Ahead he could hear laughter and someone call out his name. He'd been in this place before. He stopped walking and stood behind a line of trees. The laughter he had head before was much clearer now. He pushed back one of the braches that was blocking his view to reveal a huge lake on the other side. _

_Now he remembered where he was. He was back at the temple. His friend Bant was calling to him so they could go for one of their swims in the temple gardens lake. He became filled with a sense of peace that had eluded him for what seemed like ages. _

_He watched as Bant jumped into the lake water, going under its surface only to come back up again a few seconds later. She called out to him again, her voice echoing in his mind. "Obi-Wan!" She waved to him to join her and then swam off towards the center of the lake. Obi-Wan grinned as he dived into the cool water. As he went under the water of lake He began to feel a sense of unease. He tired swimming to the surface but something was holding him back._

_Suddenly his vision became impaired as a dark red substance began to mix with the crystal clear water. Obi-Wan continued to try and swim to the surface but was still being held back. He looked down and saw that something had grabbed hold of his ankle. He reached down and pried the object from his person. _

_When he pulled it up to get a better look he was shocked to see that it was a hand and even more shocked to see that the hand was attached to decapitated body, the body was wearing the uniform that Obi-Wan had come to associate with Runihura's organization. Obi-Wan jerked back and in doing so hit another form. He turned and saw that it was another body, this one with a gawking hole in its abdomen. Obi-Wan swam away from this form as well but nowhere he turned could he escape. All around him were dead soldiers he had killed two years ago blocking his way back up to the water's surface. _

_Then the bodies to the side parted and a new form moved closer from the dark red abyss. Obi-Wan felt his heart grow cold as he began to make out the outline of the form. It was obviously feminine with wild hair and flashing eyes. It was Runihura! As she drew closer she reached out to him, calling to him…Obi-Wan…~ _

A hand landed on his shoulder and out of pure reflexes Obi-Wan grabbed the hand by the wrist and twisted it around. The person whom the hand belonged to gave out a cry of pain and tried to pull away from Obi-Wan's iron grasp. "AHH...Kenobi let go!"  

Obi-Wan's eyes flew open. He quickly took in his surrounding and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that he was on the star ship Constanza. A place he had become familiar with over the past year. Obi-Wan then realized that he still had his grasp on the person who had touched his shoulder. He quickly let go. "Sorry." He said dryly. 

Standing beside him Mig messaged her wrist. "You know, if I wanted to be manhandled I would have stayed with my last boyfriend!" The Chattan woman stood up straight and brushed off her sleek, strawberry blonde colored fur. Her long pointed ears hung to the back of her head with a graceful arch, pierced at the tips with several gold loops that jingled when she moved her head. Her narrow eyes glared at the human sitting in front of her. She held out a folded piece of paper. "Here!" She said hotly as she shoved it in his face. 

Obi-Wan took the slip of paper from her and opened it, reading the contents of the note. Then suddenly the young man jumped out of his chair, a look of pure terror on his face. He looked up, eyes blazing. Mig stepped back unconsciously when he turned to her, the look in his eye baring down on her. "What is this?!" He asked in a low voice. Mig didn't say anything but shrugged. "What is this?! Some kind of sick joke?!" Obi-Wan asked again his voice becoming louder and he began to walk towards her. 

"I don't know what it is!" Mig said with a slightly shaky voice as she backed up further. "I found it after I came back from Telluride on a supply run." Mig was now pressed up against the wall. Obi-Wan stared down at her his eyes burning. Mig closed her eyes tightly. The claws at the tips of her fingers extended slightly ready for anything. After a few seconds and nothing happened, the Chatton slowly opened her eyes. Obi-Wan was gone. Mig let out a sigh of relief. "I have got to get a new gig." 

***

The republic transport landed at the main spaceport of the planet Spenta Armaiti. The planet that could almost be considered an early version of Coruscant before all the natural resources had been depleted and landscape built over by level after level of building structures. Spenta Armaiti was mostly covered by cities that were scattered around the planet and connected with miles of large tubes that ran under water and through the air for various vehicles to travel from one place to another. 

Master Qui-Gon Jinn exited the ship followed by his colleagues Master Adi Gallia and her padawan Siri who was close to facing her trials to becoming a knight. "Let us say that you do find him Qui-Gon, what exactly will you say to him?" Adi asked. 

"First thing first." Qui-Gon replied as they began to walk towards a nearby bar where they were to meet with a contact. It had been two years since Qui-Gon had last seen his former Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. The young man had sent messages to Qui-Gon every couple of months but they had stopped a little over a year ago. The last one had mentioned a person named Rayv.  

Qui-Gon had to give whoever this "Rayv" person was commendations. It had taken the Jedi master months to track them down and every time he thought that he was close, Rayv would disappear again. It was frustrating work and Qui-Gon would have preferred to be searching for Obi-Wan but with the last transmission from his ex-padawan being so long ago the chances of finding him were slim to none. The young man could be halfway across the galaxy by now. That left Rayv as the only real link Qui-Gon had to Obi-Wan's new life. When the Jedi master had finally caught up with the elusive Rayv, the woman had been unwilling to talk with him. She claimed to want nothing to do with the Jedi but when Qui-Gon had mentioned Obi-Wan, the woman had paused for a long moment then told the Jedi that she would meet him at the Rimbauer Inn. 

The three Jedi entered the bar. The place wasn't sleazy like one would expect a spaceport bar to be but this place held a certain amount of class. The floor was made out of a polished wood and heavy dark green curtains hung over the windows to keep out natural light. The light that filled the room came from antique looking lamps that hung from the ceiling. Speakers that were propped up in the corners of the room pumped out music that was set at such a low volume level that it had become impossible to understand what the balladeer was singing and so the music just blended in with the rest of the background noise. Patrons of the bar sat at the few tables that were spaciously positioned in the center of the room, at cushioned booths that lined the right wall and stools at the bar that lined the left wall. "So, what does this Rayv person look like?" Siri asked as they walked in. 

"I don't know." Qui-Gon confessed. "But she said that she would find us." They walked past some of the booths that lined the wall. A few of the occupants would look up at the three Jedi briefly but then only returned to their drinks. They stopped when they reached the back wall. 

"Perhaps we missed her." Adi commented scanning the bar once more. 

"Not quite." A voice to their right said. They turned and saw a woman who looked to be in her mid fifties with graying curly black hair cut short above her shoulders. She sat with her elbows propped up on the table, holding a half filled glass in her hands. She stared into the glass as she said, "Almost though. I've been waiting here for nearly an hour. I thought  Jedi were punctual. " She downed the rest of her drink and then turned her head to look at them. Though the side of her face that had been visible before was unmarred, save for a few wrinkles brought on my age, The other side was covered with burn scars that ran from her hairline down to her chin and a cyborg eye glowed an angry looking red in contrast to the pale blue of her remaining natural eye.  "Please, have a seat." She motioned to the empty seat across from her. Qui-Gon and Adi slide into the booth while Siri grabbed an empty chair from one of the tables and slide it over to the booth. 

"Thank you for agreeing to speak with us." Qui-Gon said. 

"No need for thanks, Master Jedi." Rayv said. She signaled for a server droid and ordered a round of ice blasters for them. When the woman looked back at the Jedi, she noticed Siri staring at the scars that lined the side of Rayv's face. When Siri found that she had been caught, the young Jedi quickly diverted her gaze. Rayv chuckled. "Oh, don't pay any mind to these old scars, girly. Their almost to be expected in my line of work."

"And what might that be?" Qui-Gon asked as the server droid returned and set a tray of glasses in front of them. 

Rayv took up one of the glasses and took a sip of the drink, savoring the flavor. "Bounty Hunter." 

_(Two years earlier)_

** The Beurre Club was a popular hang out for first class citizens of the planet Melchoca to kick back a few, gamble their fortune away and congratulate themselves on being masters of the universe. Rayv leaned back in her seat at one of the club's many tables. From where she sat, the agency bounty hunter could survey the entire establishment and it's occupants. Her target was known to be a frequent customer of  high class establishments such as The Beurre Club and if Rayv's contact was on the level then she would be collecting the final bounty of her career tonight. 

Rayv swirled the glass Dorian Quill that she held in her left hand and looked down at the small data-pad that lay on her lap "How's the Youki?" Rayv looked up from the data-pad to her fellow bounty hunter, Nad Romani who was reading from a menu on the table, loose strands of her dark hair falling out from under the crimson hood she was wearing. 

"Expensive and it taste like bantha poodoo." Rayv said taking a sip of her Dorian Quill as she took in another survey of the room. 

"And people actually eat it?" Nad asked looking up at Rayv with disbelief. 

Rayv shrugged and looked back down at the data pad in her lap. "You'd be surprised what people will do for status." 

Nad made a disgusted face as she looked back down at the menu. "Status is overrated. I'll stick to the Karkan Ribenes."  Nad lifted her head and flashed a smile. At the age of 32, she was still a good two decades younger then Rayv. With her caramel colored skin and big brown doe eyes, she could make a Lago Angel see green. And she knew this. She used it to her advantage. Luring the prey into a false sense of security with her looks and charm then by the time they realized they were caught it was too late. She called it her secret weapon. Rayv thought it was mockery to the profession and degrading to womanhood but Nad would simply shrug and say, "I'm just using the gifts that the almighty powers that be bestowed on me." Rayv would then make a rude sound, thinking that the girl could do so much better if she started using the other gifts she had instead of playing with the hormones of her targets. But Rayv would admit it was better then her usual approach of shooting first and asking questions later.

Nad's smile soon faded as the door to the café opened and a familiar face walked in and moved to the end of the bar. "That our girl?" She asked in hushed voice. Rayv's eyes remained on her data pad but she could see their target out of her peripheral vision. Kiara Bronsin, a.k.a "The Black Widow".  "Doesn't look like a killer…" Nad mused as she took in Kiara's appearance: Small frame, height about 5'2. She had soft features and pale blue eyes. She wore a midnight blue tunic, made of rich silk, that fell past her knees. She looked harmless.

"I believe that's the point, Nad." Rayv said with an exasperated tone. "I'd think you above all people would realize that. Like you she uses her looks to her advantage." 

Nad snorted, "I don't go around seducing men for their money and then kill them." Kiara had gotten her nick name as "The Black Widow" by marrying men with considerable bank balances and then slowly poison them to death. By the time anyone began to suspect her, she would hope a transport and disappear into space. It had worked for a time but Kiara had gotten greedy and decided to go for a bigger kill, Emperor Harkin ruler of the Taman dynasty. 

Dismissing her usual routine of getting off planet as soon as possible after the death of her husband, Kiara had stayed and assumed the title as the new ruler but suspicion began to circulate and soon Kiara found herself once again on the run only now with a hefty bounty on her head issued by the Taman government. 

"Yes, luckily for all of us you use you powers for good instead of evil." Rayv chanced a look up then and saw Nad's hand begin to inch towards the blaster that was hidden under her crimson cloak. "Don't even think about it." 

Nad rolled her eyes and let her hand drop. The two sat in silence for a moment just listening to the clustered chatter of the crowded club. Nad crossed her arms and stared at Rayv. "You're gonna miss it you know." She said simply, knowing perfectly well that the older woman knew what she was talking about. "A person like you can't do this kind of work for more then three decades and then just walk away." 

Rayv snorted, "Believe me I'm more then ready to do just that." She brought the glass up to her lips and took a sip. When people talked about Bounty Hunters the words ruthless, relentless, fearless and thrill of the hunt came to mind. No one ever mentioned how the job can suck the life right from you without you even realizing it.

After 36 years of being one of the fearless, the first ten doing freelance work and the last twenty-six being part of the agency that she helped co-create with her long time friend, Jilt, she had little to show for her life except an extraordinary back account. She knew she was lucky to have lasted this long with only a few scars and a lost eye. She's seen more then enough associates fall in an attempt to get some unreachable bounty. 

No one mourned them either. That was the cost. You had no ties. No home. No legacy. These were the things that haunted her when the lights went down at night and she was left with her thoughts as she laid in bed. Memories of lost opportunities would pop up and taunt her. She should have gotten out of this business a long time ago but every time she thought she was out they would suck her right back in. 

Rayv took a deep breath as the memories began to surface again. She finished her drink and ordered another one, wanting to rid herself of the phantoms the only way that she knew how. 

She supposed it was a difference experience for each person. Nad for instance seemed to thrive in this type of environment. She watched as Nad reached into her tunic pocket and pulled out a death stick, putting it between her lips and started looking for a light. Rayv leaned over in her seat and snatched the death stick from Nad's lips. "I need you crisp and functioning. Get high on you own time." She flicked the death stick to the ground. "Besides you need all the brain cells you can get." 

"Awww…Rayv, I didn't know you cared." Nad said with mock sweetness. "Relax Rayv. It's not like we're going after the Bando Gora." She looked down at the glass in Rayv's hand. "It's kind of a funny statement coming from you." Rayv gave her a confused look and Nad nodded her head towards the glass of alcohol "How many is that for you so far?" 

Rayv was about to reply but noticed movement from the bar. Kiara had began to move towards one of the gambling tables. She lifted her wrist and activated the comlink that was built into her arm band. "Erik, she's moving your way."

A low voice muffled even more with slight static replied, "I see her." **

Rayv eyed the three Jedi before her suspiciously. "What do the Jedi want with Kenobi anyway? He's not in any kind of trouble is he?" 

Qui-Gon shook his head. "It's nothing like that. Obi-Wan is a former student of mine and we have a favor to ask of him. I contacted you because we have been unable to track him down." 

Rayv gave a start and leaned back in her seat slowly. "Kenobi's a Jedi? That explains a lot actually." She gave a small laugh and shook her head as though it had been the most obvious thing. Taking another sip of her drink leaned on her elbows and looked directly at the Jedi.  "Alright Master Jedi, I'll help you reunite with your  former student. I'll take you to him personally." 

"We do not wish to be a burden." 

"No burden. It's just a quick transmission and a transport ride. You'll see Obi-Wan in no time. Besides I've been meaning to have a talk with a few old friends for a while now." 


	2. Always Know Where You Are

Chapter 2 - Always Know Where You Are  
  
The Constanza was anything but a top of the line starship. It was an ancient model and looked like it was on it's last legs but constant repairs to the interior and exterior were prolonging the inevitable. The ship was currently docked on Telluride for repairs sustained while coming out of hyperspace in an area that was well known for pirate raids. The Constanza had hit one of their space mines while reentering real space. Jilt, the owner of the starship, still believed that the old model could handle a few mines but sadly that wasn't the case anymore.  
  
"I say we shoot her and put her out of her misery." Nad commented as she sat on the metal floor of the ship, at the side of an open floor hatch, a box of tools at her feet.  
  
The upper half of Erik Leroux's body appeared from the floor hatch. "This old girl still has some life left in her." He replied simply as he reached over Nad's legs and grabbed the necessary instrument from the box before once again disappearing into the hatchway.  
  
"We could dock her permanently on some planet and convert her into a theme restaurant. We'd at least make some good scratch on the side." Nad went on as though she hadn't even noticed Erik come up from down in the bowls of the ship. "Anything is better then continually pouring our money into repairs on this force forsaken ship!"  
  
Erik appeared again and tossed the tool into the box. He pulled himself up out of the hatch and slide the panel back over the opening. He stood up to his full height of 6'2 and looked down at Nad. From her point of view the artificial lighting in the ceiling panels gave his midnight blue skin an eerie glow, which was only heightened by his bright yellow eyes that stared down at her. "You just don't understand. A ship like this is a piece of history. Just think of all the things this old girl has seen. She deserves to be persevered."  
  
"It's a ship, Erik. An inanimate object. Not a living, breathing being. And it deserves to be in a scrap pile." Nad got to her feet. Even though Erik was good five inches taller then her, she didn't let that stop her from getting up in his face. She would never let a man intimidate her. Especially this man.  
  
"I'll be damned to the seven hells if you think I'll let that happen to my ship-"  
  
"It's not even your ship!"  
  
"I repair her wounds. I've become quite attached." Erik turned away and began to walk down the corridor towards the lounge. Not only was Erik one of the Bounty hunters that occupied the starship but Jilt also paid Erik a few extra credits to do the repairs to the Constanza. It was cheaper then hiring a real mechanic but at the same time might explain why the repairs needed to be done over several times. Mechanics weren't exactly his strong suit. Strategy is what he was best at and it had helped him bring in more then his fair share of bounties in the past years that he had been here.  
  
Nad followed a few paces behind Erik, a small grin creeping across her features. They entered the lounge and took seats at the table, Erik in the booth portion and Nad in the free standing seat on the opposite side. The table itself was cluttered with data pads and file chips. Erik reached out and grabbed one of the data-pads from the table. The two sat in silence for a time, reading over the information on new bounties that had been posted. Erik thought that he could hear a faint jingling sound. He thought nothing of it at first. Old ships make strange sounds but the noise grew louder. "Do you hear that?" Nad suddenly asked.  
  
The doors to the lounge slide open and a very disgruntled looking Mig entered the lounge, the jingling noise coming from the golden loops that were pieced into the tips of her ears. "I have had it! Jilt doesn't pay me enough to put up with this!" She ran her hand over one of her arms and a few of the short hairs began to fall of and rain down to the floor. "Look at this! Look at this I'm so stressed out I'm shedding!"  
  
"Calm down." Nad said then turned back to the data-pad she had been reading from. Over the years that she had been here, Nad had come to learn that Mig over reacted to everything and eventually had stopped paying attention to Chattan woman's frequent rants.  
  
"What happened?" Erik asked.  
  
"I just had another encounter with 'young gun'." Mig explained. Obi-Wan was the youngest member of their group at the age of 22. But despite that he was an ace shot with a blaster, having impeccable accuracy. Because of those two factors the rest of the group had began to affectionately refer to him as 'young gun'. Though when Mig said it she usually was being sarcastic. "The kid got some kind of love note and started flipping out at me. Next thing I know he leaves. Took his fighter and jetted out of here."  
  
She hadn't like Kenobi from the moment she had met him. She used words like violent and crazy when describing him. They had all had their own points of view about the new blood that joined their group. Even Erik had felt some resentment towards him because of his abilities. But the alien had soon come to realize what a reliable factor Obi-Wan could be in a tough situation.  
  
"How long ago did he leave?" Nad asked suddenly becoming interested in the conversation.  
  
Mig shrugged not seeing the point. "About an hour. Maybe two."  
  
"And you just tell us this now?!" Nad threw the data-pad back on the table and ran her hands through her hair as she leaned back in the chair groaning in frustration. "I got a transmission from our old friend Rayv. Says she stopping by with a few friends of Kenobi's who want to see him. She'll be here in a few hours with these 'friends'." She glared over at Mig. "Why didn't you come to us about this sooner?"  
  
"I was recouping from that very traumatizing experience and besides how was I suppose to know we were keeping tabs on him?"  
  
Erik slid out of his seat and went for the door. "I'm gonna head up to the Multi-comm station and see if anyone has spotted him."  
  
"You think we'll be able to track him down?" Nad asked as she stood up and followed him to the door.  
  
"It'll take some time but it's better then waiting here for him to come back and knowing him that could be days from now."  
  
**Erik watched as Kiara Bronsin walked over to the gambling table  
he was currently occupying with several other, swaying her hips as  
she moved closer. The bounty hunter had noticed her standing by the  
bar for some time, scooping out the club for the big winners. She  
had zeroed in her attentions on one of the men seated at his table.  
A fairly young man with ginger hair that fell to just above his  
shoulders. He would occasionally run his hand through it to keep it  
out of his sea green eyes.  
  
"You boys mind if I join you?" Kiara asked in an innocent tone but  
Erik knew better then to believe that. He pitied the poor fool she  
had set her sights on. Probably some naive youth who had just come  
into a considerable amount of money and was now out looking for a  
good time. Kid had no idea what he had gotten himself into.  
  
Kiara took a seat next to the young man she had set her sights on  
when no objections to her joining in on the game were made. One of  
the other occupants of the table, a male Twi'lek began to deal out  
the next hand. "Are you familiar with the game of Sabbac miss."  
  
"Hadrea Nabal and you are."  
  
"Malik Lafif." The Twi'lek introduced, "and these are my associates  
Galan Gimm, Erik Leroux and Obi-Wan Kenobi." The other three men at  
the table nodded their acknowledgments to her.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Kiara said as she picked up her  
cards. "And to answer your first question, I am familiar with  
Sabbac but haven't played in quite some time," She flashed a sly  
grin, "but I'm sure I can hold my own."  
  
The game commenced and went on for another hour. Wins were  
scattered around the table but most of them did seem to go to  
Kenobi, young man that Kiara was getting close to. Erik would  
occasionally let his eyes wander over to the table where Rayv and  
Nad were seated on the other side of the room. Rayv looked like the  
picture of disinterest, focusing on her drink. Though Erik knew  
that the veteran Bounty hunter was very aware of everything going  
on around her. Nad looked impatient, the toe of her boot  
rhythmically tapping against the floor and her hand occasionally  
drifting over to the handle of her blaster.  
  
Erik turned his focus back to the game. They had no room to be  
impulsive like Nad wanted. They couldn't very well strike here in  
the club. There were too many ways for something to go wrong.  
Casualties and damage fees that would come out of their pockets if  
they killed any bystanders or destroyed private property not to  
mention the contract on Kiara would be void with she ended up dead  
before turned over to the Taman government.  
  
If they wanted to bring in this prey they had to be patient,  
methodical, and strategic. Being a former security force officer,  
these things had become instinctive to Erik. He had made the  
transition to a from cop to bounty hunter after losing all his  
faith in the legal system. He'd seen too much corruption and had  
even taken a stance against it but found that he would be standing  
alone. It wasn't that everyone in his parish was against him but  
the best he got was apathy.  
  
Erik's train of thought was interrupted as the round of sabbac  
ended and Kenobi pushed back his chair, standing up as he pocketed  
the money he had won.  
  
Obi-Wan looked as though he were about to speak when suddenly Erik  
noticed that the tension in his body had tightened and his face  
became hard. Obi-Wan turned his head towards the door. A split  
second later three men entered the club. They made a quick scan of  
the area. One of the men looked towards Obi-Wan. He motioned to the  
other two with him and they began to make their way over. The young  
man didn't try hide his presence or find a way out of the club. He  
merely stood there and waited for them to come over to the table.  
  
"Kenobi," One of the men said in a civil tone as he and the two  
others with him strode over to Obi-Wan. "this is serendipitous. To  
think we came in here looking for a pathetic worm and we find you!"  
  
"It's always a pleasure, Alexi." Obi-Wan said in an even tone as  
the other two men with Alexi moved around to flank his left and  
right.  
  
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries, Kenobi. You know what I  
want. The money you cheated out of me."  
  
"Cheated? I believe I won that money fairly."  
  
Alexi shrugged as though it didn't make any difference one way or  
another. "I want my money and I'm going to get it out of you one  
way or another." The two minions standing behind Obi-Wan each  
placed a hand on his shoulders. "Step outside with us for a while  
so we can discuss this in private." Not having much choice in the  
matter, Obi-Wan let them escort him out of the club like a child.  
  
The instant the door closed behind them, the rest of the partners  
of the club vacated their seats and hurried over to the windows for  
a good view of what was happening outside. Erik maneuvered his way  
through the cluster of people an went to the side of his two  
companions.  
  
The two men who were escorting Obi-Wan kept their hands on his  
shoulders as they stopped. Alexi came and stood in front of the  
young man. Words passed between them but the spectators in the club  
couldn't hear what was being said. A collective cry of shock went  
up from the group as they watched Alexi suddenly slug Obi-Wan in  
the midsection.  
  
The two men that were holding him let go and Obi-Wan dropped to one  
knee, coughing. "Looks like Kiara isn't going to have a chance to  
get to him." Nad muttered the comment so only the other two bounty  
hunters could hear her.  
  
After a few moments Obi-Wan stood up and faced Alexi again. He made  
another comment that couldn't be heard by anyone in the club. One  
of the thugs behind Obi-Wan moved his hand to the blaster that was  
strapped to his hip. Obi-Wan turned simultaneously as the man  
lifted his blaster to fire. The young man's next series of moves  
were blurs of motion as he grabbed the man's wrist and flipped him  
over onto his back, freeing the blaster from his grasp has he  
landed on the hard ground. He fired off a shot from the blaster,  
hitting Alexi's second minion. Leaving only their ring leader.  
  
The tension in the air was thick. The audience in the club feel  
silent as they waited to see what would happen next. Obi-Wan stood  
with the blaster pointed squarely at Alexi's chest. Erik thought  
that he saw Obi-Wan shaking slightly. Whether it was rage or fear  
he didn't know. All he knew was that the "naive youth" that he had  
labeled the young man to be was wrong.  
  
Outside in he streets, Obi-Wan kept the blaster pointed at Alexi's  
chest but moved it slightly as he said something to the man. A look  
of uncertainty passed over Alexi's features. His soundless mouth  
moved and then he calmly walked away, as though nothing had  
happened. The tension in Obi-Wan's body left as he watched Alexi  
leave. The young man tossed to blaster onto the ground next to the  
two goons and made his way back inside the club.  
  
As he stepped inside, as round of applauds and cheers went up  
around the room. Obi-Wan ignored it all and walked over to the bar,  
tolerating the slaps on the backs from people he didn't even know.  
After ordering a drink from the bartender he runs his hands through  
his tousled hair and closed his eyes, not even bothering to  
acknowledge the woman who had come up to his side.  
  
"That was quite a show." Kiara said. She stood between the stool  
Obi-Wan was seated in and the one next to him.  
  
Obi-Wan opened his eyes and looked sideways at her. "Believe me  
that was no show. That was in fact very real." The bartender slide  
his drink in front of him. Obi-Wan grasped the glass and took a  
sip.  
  
"I'm sorry if I offended you. This place isn't exactly known for  
brawls. Watching you out there was like seeing something from an  
old holovid." She ordered herself a drink and slide up onto the  
stool next to him. "You remember me right?" She waited for him to  
reply but he just looked down into his glass. "Hadrea Nabal."  
  
Again she waited but no reply came. This one wasn't going to be  
easy. "Oh, so you're a the strong, silent type. All brawn and no  
brains. Is that it?"  
  
He took another sip of his drink. "If that's what you want to  
believe your welcome to it. Personally, I don't like giving much  
about myself out in the open." He gave her another sideways look  
"Much like you." That last statement caught her off guard. He  
couldn't know who she was. Could he? She was certain she had never  
been on this planet or in this sector even. She recovered from the  
shock, needing all her wits about her. She was getting the feeling  
that her plans were not going to go exactly as she had hoped but  
she should at least get a little something for all her trouble.  
  
She slide down from her stool and leaned in close to him, placing  
on hand on his shoulder and letting the other one lightly skim  
across the front of his tunic. "I don't know what you mean by that.  
I'm an open book. Ask me anything."  
  
"What do you want?" His patience wearing thin.  
  
"I want to know you."  
  
He turned and looked at her fully for the first time. His sapphire  
eyes revealing all that he had seen in his lifetime. None of it  
good. She leaned away slightly as he spoke, "You don't want to know  
that. If you knew of the things I have done, you wouldn't want to  
be around me. You'd run as far away as you could." His tone was  
almost sad. She let her arms drop from him and she backed away,  
unnerved. He stared at her for a moment then turned back to his  
drink. Kiara hurried out of the club.  
  
On the other side of the room, Rayv had returned to her seat and  
watched the exchange between Obi-Wan and Kiara with great interest.  
**  
  
Nad walked down the corridor towards the lounge. They had been trying to track down Obi-Wan for nearly two hours now and had only run into dead ends. As much as she liked the kid he could be a real pain in the butt sometimes. Albeit that most of his faults were because of serious issues that he needed to over come.  
  
The door to the lounge slid open and Nad stopped dead in her tracks as she saw a familiar person sitting causally in the lounge, talking with Mig, as though the person had only been gone a two days instead of two years. Nad barely noticed the other three people present in the lounge. "Rayv!" She barked a laugh, "Ha! I told you, you'd miss it!"  
  
Rayv grinned slightly, "Hate to disappoint you, but I'm here on other business. I have a few words I want to share with Jilt," She then motioned over to her three Jedi guests. "And these fine people wish to see Kenobi."  
  
Nad eyed the three strangers. The lightsabers that hung from their belts did not go unnoticed by her. "What do the Jedi want with young gun?"  
  
Rayv shook her head and waved her off. "It's a long story that we don't have time to go into right now. They really need to speak with him."  
  
"That's where the problem lies." She was about to elaborate when her com- link began beeping. She gave an apologetic smile as she unclipped it from her belt. "This better be good."  
  
Erik's voice came through over the other end of the com-link. "I got a lead on him." 


End file.
